Sinking- NukeLane Oneshot
by TheHarlequinnCat
Summary: Just a oneshot pertaining to the events of Luke and Jane's one night stand, also Nick's death and some of Jane's past. I don't summarize well, it's just something you're gonna have to read. Rated T for alluding to adult content (there's no actual smut)- Didn't tag it as 'romance' because it has more to do with tragedy than romance (in my opinion)- REVIEWS APPRECIATED


_DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with Telltale or TWD(G) in any way, shape, or form_

_"When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire." _

Her soft breath was gentle on his neck- If he could choose a time to die, then he would come and go just like this under the painted sky. Sweat ran thick down the curvature of his spine, his brunet hair sticking to his glistening forehead, body still trembling in the throes of pleasure. Running his calloused hands through the skeins of her choppy blonde hair, he inhaled the scent of vanilla and dirt; _familiar_, but not quite home. It'd never feel like home again, he could never trick himself into sinking into such sheer human intimacy without the overbearing guilt in the pit of his stomach. Even though she was a passing fancy, it was the most alive he'd felt in what seemed to be years. She wanted it too, making the first moves right after she told him _he_ was _dead_. Through half-lidded eyes, Luke listlessly watched the ceiling, shuddering from the cold winter air biting at his bare chest; and he began to fall into much-anticipated dreaming. It had been days, or had it been _decades_? He did not grieve, mourn, or gripe since Nick had _disappeared_.

Floating... He felt as though he were _floating_; his soul lifted from the darkest pits of despair and back to the peace of a perfect world that could only be reached in sleep.  
When Luke woke up, pulling the warmth of a slender frame closer to him; light, loose, free. Exhaling slowly, he felt cautious fingers trace down his abdomen, curling circles in the flecks of hair trailing downward, and then there was a murmur of low sweet nonsense. So much like before; and it was almost as though he expected to wake up to the inconsolable cobalt eyes of his friend. _Friend_? Would you call him a '_friend_' if he acted like a _lover_, but refused to agree to the proper terminology because he feared rejection, and he feared grieving over loss, and he feared messing up? It didn't matter, in the blissful silence; Luke couldn't even hear the constant rumble of walkers passing through the streets below. The form pressed into his skin, merging into the loving-contact he'd yearned for so badly. It was this constant dream, he was home and he was safe and Nick was alive.

However, he knew he had to get up. He needed to get up, and when he did he would return to hell. Staying asleep seemed much better, just for this moment; if he could just delude the fantasy a little longer. A tad rougher, slender hands pushed against his half-conscious frame, as he faded between the dream and reality. Nick had always been impatient in the mornings, on the frequent occasion he got up earlier. Sometimes he was ruthless, rudely awakening Luke with ice water instead of butterfly kisses. There would be the aroma of coffee beans and alcohol, mixed in with campfire smoke from the night before. And that intransigence he had when it came to 'just a little longer', oh how Luke missed it. He missed the honeydew when he got up early enough, his bare toes clenching in the grass, and Nick's chapped lips brushing against his morning shadow. This was different, it was delicate but still firm; and Luke could almost believe...  
"Ten more minutes, Nick." He drawled out, thick Southern baritone clouded with the fogginess of sleep.  
"Nick?" A sudden stark contrast from what he expected in his mind cut through the tranquility like a knife. "_Nick_? Did you just call me-?" Confused. Hurt. Like a dagger through the heart. Just like he'd been when he found out Nick had just faded away, into nothing- without much a story other than a cowardly demise, on account of his irresponsibility and anxiety. Luke refused to believe that Nick could've died such a mundane death, but it was such a convincing story; and Nick hadn't come back. Snapping back, realizing his mistake, the farm boy tried to backtrack what he'd said to amend the words he spoke. Eyes going in and out of focus, mild and bitterly Jane hissed "_You were using me_."

The sky was falling down around him, crashing in tidal waves against the shore of his heart. He couldn't have possibly- His charismatic personality and leadership position granted him the immediate bond with many of his group members that some people envied. He was naturally flirtatious, a bit too arrogant, and not cautious enough to remind himself Nick _wasn't _the one holding him in bed. No. He was alone, and the pain surging up from deep in his gut was enough to make him forget the newfound chill when she held him closer, apologizing with her tender caresses. She didn't seem to mean it, she had imagined her own string of lovers and not Luke. But, the hurt remained, since he had thought of _Nick_ when he made love to _her_. If he'd only been more careful, and not commanded Nick get over his growing panic around the lurkers, if he hadn't told him to go get help since he didn't trust two anxiety-ridden people to be alone with the herd coming closer. Maybe, things would've been different. Maybe if he knew this would've happened he wouldn't have pushed Nick away when he woke up screaming, soaked in sweat, trembling from head to toe; all because he wanted something _real_. Jane's love wasn't _real_ either, he felt like he was playing himself just to get through the day now. He would've cherished the subtle, and the not so subtle, expressions of affection.

Hell, he must've been some sort of screwed up if he realized he was madly in love only when it was too late. Luke rolled over, clutching the blanket against his wet face; letting the tears drain from him, heaving ceaseless sobs into the musty cotton; all the while he felt something warm leaking onto his chest, Jane's own whimpers rising in despair. For what, he couldn't be sure; she could miss someone else as much as he did. He didn't care anymore; they were all each other had now, and in this intimacy they could both _pretend_.

"That's the most human I've felt in a long time." Luke mused softly, a small smile on his face once the morning light came; hitting her in rays of sunshine. Neither of them mentioned the secrets they'd implied and shared, or the fact they had both committed an unspeakable act of sin. They were both dressed, leaning against the side of the wall; that's when Clementine popped up, sending them both back into reality.

**((Just a drabble, wasn't proofread. I just felt that I could read into Jane and Luke's one night stand a little bit more, but I left a lot out to interpretation; especially on Jane's side. It is Nuke, but there's also that little Lane part that is there y'know? I tried to stick to the canon, but I may have gotten some of the details wrong; it's been a while since I played the game.))**


End file.
